Letters to the Editor for November 1, 2017

So, you have 10 people and 10 apples. You give all 10 apples to one person. When the other 9 complain, you point out that it's an average of one apple per person. That's math.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is using the same bad math to proclaim an average of $4,000 in tax savings for American families. She's probably correct. If you give $2 trillion in tax breaks to the highest wage earners, it probably does average $4,000 per family. That's not what you’re going to receive, of course, but it is the average, just like

Continue to read this article and more, subscribe now

So, you have 10 people and 10 apples. You give all 10 apples to one person. When the other 9 complain, you point out that it's an average of one apple per person. That's math.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is using the same bad math to proclaim an average of $4,000 in tax savings for American families. She's probably correct. If you give $2 trillion in tax breaks to the highest wage earners, it probably does average $4,000 per family.That's not what you’re going to receive, of course, but it is the average, just like the apples. They're also eyeing your 401(k) and the deductions you receive for State and Local Taxes (SALT). They have to pay for those corporate tax cuts somehow. If, sadly, they do negotiate to eliminate the 401(k) tax break and SALT deductions, your tax rate is going up, not down. That's also math.

Look, the Republicans tried to repeal the ACA so the wealthy would receive an $800 million reduction in taxes. They were willing to take health insurance away from some 20 million people to do it. Only 17 percent of Americans supported the repeal, yet they persisted. Why?

The GOP has sold-out to their donors. Citizens United paved the way for the Koch brothers and Robert and Rebecca Mercer's of the world to spend as much as they like to influence our politics. Worse, the GOP has ceded their Constitutional responsibilities. There are no longer any checks and balances or responsible government coming from their side of the aisle.

We need to be vigilant. Don't let our politicians sell us out to the highest bidder. You won't like the math.